The premier public golf course in Uptown New Orleans is Audubon Park on St. Charles Avenue, the historic Garden District’s largest park. Just 10 minutes from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and the city’s central business district, the par-62 course is 81 acres (33 hectares) of contoured fairways, multiple lagoons and exquisite landscaping set among more centuries-old live oak trees.
The park offers not only golf but also hiking and biking trails and one of the South’s best zoos. It is the only golf course in America accessible by streetcar, and the same rail line is dotted with a variety of eateries, live music venues, museums and art and antiques galleries.
Audubon Park is one of 17 courses on Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail—a statewide series of pro-caliber courses offering challenging golf surrounded by the state’s music, cuisine and cultural offerings. Courses are in or near every major Louisiana city.
The trail is named for John James Audubon, who painted many of his famous Birds of America series while living near St. Francisville.
Courses include:
- Carter Plantation east of Baton Rouge in Springfield is a 7,050-yard, par-72 course. Designed by PGA champion David Toms, the course traverses three distinct Louisiana landscapes—live oak flats, bald cypress wetlands and upland pine forests.
- Cypress Bend Resort sits on Toledo Bend Reservoir west of Alexandria. Ten holes run along the 186,000-acre (75,000 hectare) lake, and six holes involve hidden coves and bayous. Terrain is hilly with pines and hardwoods flanking fairways.
- TPC Louisiana is a 7,600-yard, par-72 course in Avondale designed by master architect Pete Dye. He created the course to sit low on the property and challenge players with not only bunkers and water hazards but also natural vegetation, including numerous bald cypress trees. TPC is home to Louisiana’s only PGA event, the annual Zurich Classic.
- LaTour Golf Club is along the banks of beautiful Bayou Lafourche and features an 18-hole golf course designed by PGA tour champion David Toms. The 72-par course sits on 597 acres (242 hectares) of beautiful rolling grasslands and lakes that add to the beauty and splendor of LaTour.
- Bayou Oaks South Course features 18 holes of championship golf in New Orleans City Park. The pristine South Course was designed by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead of Rees Jones, Inc., in association with Torre Design Consortium.
Other trail courses are The Atchafalaya at Idlewild near Morgan City; Black Bear near Monroe; Gray Plantation in Lake Charles; OakWing in Alexandria; Tamahka Trails in Marksville; Santa Maria in Baton Rouge; The Bluffs in St. Francisville; Copper Mill in Zachary; The Wetlands in Lafayette; Koasati Pines in Kinder; Oak Knoll in Hammond; and The Golf Club at Audubon Park in New Orleans.
To learn more about courses and reserve tee times and accommodations, visit the official Audubon Golf Trail website.
